Studio couch



March 15, 1938. w. E. WUNDERLICH STUDIO COUCH Filed June a, 1956 VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Patented Mar. 15, 1938 ATET OFFICE STUDIO COUCH William E. Wunderlich, Muncie, In'd., assignor to The Moore Company, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application June 3, 1936, Serial No. 83,253

3 Claims.

My invention relates to an article of furniture known as a studio couch. Such an article comprises two laterally telescoping sections which, when telescoped together, form a sofa or similar article, but which can be extended to form a bed-like structure.

My invention relates particularly to the means employed for locking the two sections of the studio couch in telescoped relation, and it-is my object to produce a locking means: whichwill be simple in construction and which will operate positively at all times. A further object of my invention is to produce a locking mechanism which, while concealed, has an operating member that will be readily accessible when it is desired to separate the two sections of the couch.

In carrying out my invention, I provide along the front edge of the lower or normally stationary couch-section an angle iron frame-memher with a downwardly extending flange, and on the upper or movable couch-section I mount a pair of spaced latch members adapted toen gage this flange. The latch members are pivoted on parallel axes and are interconnected by a link which extends horizontally along the inner face of the front of the frame of the movable couch-section but which is spaced from such front in order that it maybe engaged at any point along its length by the hand of the operator. The link referred to is pivotally cone nected toeach of the latch members at a point such that its weight will tend to cause the latch members to swing into locking position; and preferably the link extends through slots in the latch members to limit the extent to which they can swing about their respective pivotal axes.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a. studio couch with the two sections telescoped together and with parts thereof broken away to illustrate the construction more clearly; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the sections ex tended; Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the inner face of the front frame member of the upper or movable couch-section; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5 illustrating details of the latch mechanism; Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing one of the latches in engaged position; and Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the latch in disengaged position.

In the studio couch illustrated in the drawing,

the lower section has a frame including legs ii],

which support it from the floor, and front and rear side members H and I2 respectively. The

upper section of the couch has a frame including front and rear side members I3 and I4, and is supported on rollers. The rear side member M of the upper section is located above the lower couch-section so that it will not interfere with movement of the upper section when it is withdrawn from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. The front side member 13 of the upper section extends downwardly well below the top of the lower couchsection' to conceal the front thereof.

The front side member II of the lower section is conveniently L-shaped in cross section and is disposed with one'fiange of the L extending downwardly. The latch mechanism is mounted on the inner face of the side member 13 of the upper section, and co-operates with the vertical flange of the member i I to hold the two sections together when desired.

The latch mechanism includes two latch members 15 each of which is L-shaped in horizontal plan and has one leg i6 disposed parallel to the inner face of the side member 13 and the other leg I! extending rearwardly. The latch members are pivotally mounted with respect to the side member 13 as by being secured through the means of pivot pins 18 to attachment plates H3. The pins 18 are spaced fromv the respective legs I1 and extend through the legs 16 near the top thereof and into the attachment plates which in turn are secured against the inner face of the member l3 by screws 20.

The leg I! of each latch member is provided with an upwardly opening notch 25 of a width somewhat greater than the thickness of the ver- 3 tical flange of the side member H on the stationary couch-section. Beyond the notch 2|, the upper portion of each leg I1 is cut away to form a nose 22 so that the outer wall of the notch 2i terminates materially below the upper end of the inner wall. The upper outer corner of the nose 22 is cut off to form an oblique cam-surface 23 which extends downwardly to a point lower than the bottom edge of the side member it when the latch member is disposed with the leg ll vertical.

The two latch members 15 are interconnected by a link 30 which is pivotally attached to the leg iii of each of them at a point on the opposite side of the axis of the associated pin 18 from the leg ll of the latch member. The leg ll of each latch member is slotted, as indicated at 32 for the passage of the link 30.

When the two sections of the couch are together the force of gravity acting on the link 36' tends to swing the latch members I5 in a counterclockwise direction from the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, such movement being limited by engagement of the bottom of each notch 2| with the side member II to maintain the latch members in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 and in full-lines in Fig. 4. By moving the link 30 to the left in Figs. 3 and 4, however, the latch members can be swung into the position illustrated in Fig. 6 and in dotted-lines in Fig. 4, this movement of the latch members causing the nose of each to swing below the lower edge of the vertical flange on the member H, whereupon the two couch-sections may be separated. In thus releasing the latch members, the link 39 may be grasped at any point in its length; and, to make it easier to grasp, the intermediate portion of the link 30 is conveniently offset outwardly from the inner face of the side member l3 on the movable couch-section.

Swinging movement of both latch members is limited by engagement of the link 30 with the ends of the slots 32. When the two couch-sections are separated, the link 30 is engaged by the lower ends of the notches 32 to hold the latch members in upright position. At the limit of the releasing movement, the link 30 is engaged by the upper ends of the slots 32, as is clear from Fig. 4.

When the two sections of the couch are moved together with the latch members held in upright position as above set forth, the inclined cam-surfaces 23 engage the bottom edge of the member II and cause the latch members to swing in a clockwise direction to permit the noses 22 to pass beneath the member ll. Telescoping movement of the two couch-sections is limited by engagement of the member H with the inner walls of the notches 2| which, as is clear from Fig. 6, are long enough for that purpose. When the side member ll engages the rear walls of the notches 2 l, the noses 22 will have cleared the side members, and the force of gravity acting on the links 3-!) causes the latch members to swing from the dotted-line to the full-line position shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the notches 2| will receive the member H and hold the two couch-sections in telescoped relation.

I claim as my invention:

1. Latch mechanism for securing together the two sections of a studio couch, comprising two latch members each of a general L-shape in cross-section, said latch members being pivotally mounted on parallel axes in longitudinally spaced relation on one of said couch-sections with two of their corresponding legs substantially coplanar and the other two legs having provisions for engaging a part on the other couch-section, and a link pivotally secured to the co-planar legs of said latch members and extending through slots in the other legs thereof, to interconnect said latch members for joint movement into and out of operative position, the points of pivotal attachment of said link to said latch members being so disposed that the weight of said link tends to swing the latch members to operative position and said slot being of such length that it limits such swinging of the latch members.

2. Latch mechanism for securing together the two sections of a studio couch, comprising two latch members mounted in longitudinally spaced relation on one of said sections and engageable with a part on the other section, and common means for operating said latch members, said means including a connecting member having its opposite ends connected to said latch members and accessible to the hand of an operator throughout substantially its entire length, said latch members being pivotally mounted on parallel axes on the associated couch-section, said connecting member being a link pivotally connected to said latch members on axes parallel to their axes of pivotal mounting, and means on at least one of said latch members co-operating with said link for limiting swinging movement of the latch members under the influence of the force of gravity acting on said link.

3. Latch mechanism for securing together the two sections of a studio couch, comprising two latch members mounted in longitudinally spaced relation on one of said sections and engageable with a part on the other section, and common means for operating said latch members, said means including a connecting member having its opposite ends connected to said latch members and accessible to the hand of an operator throughout substantially its entire length, said latch members being pivotally mounted on parallel axes on the associated couch-section, said connecting member being a link pivotally connected to said latch members on axes parallel to their axes of pivotal mounting, and means on at least one of said latch members for limiting swinging movement of the latch members under the influence of the force of gravity acting on said link.

WILLIAM E. WUNDERLICH. 

